AMANDA – It was only a week ago that Amanda-Clearcreek senior Sophie Mazgay was playing with her Ohio USSSA Pride Blue 18u travel softball team. She was in her element because she loved the game so much and loved being around her teammates and coaches.
She had a spirit about her that touched so many people and her smile lit up any room she entered. She had her whole life ahead of her with so much promise.
It was all taken away suddenly when Mazgay passed away as the result of an automobile crash. She was only 17 years old.
The pain and sadness of her passing has been immeasurable to so many people, which has been played out through the support from people all over the state, especially teams and students from area high schools in Fairfield County.
“When you talk to her friends and our staff, I think the number one word to describe Sophie is genuine,” Amanda-Clearcreek principal Scott Hinton said. “Her smile was genuine, her joy to come to school was genuine, her joy to play softball, she just had a genuine joy about her. You see all the comments about how she smiled all the time. I was just teasing her about the worst part of wearing a mask is the fact I couldn’t see her smile.
“She was kind and caring. She was a model student-athlete and she took care of things academically. She was accountable and always willing to do things for other people. It is amazing to see the impact and the wingspan she had and just her ability to reach and touch so many people.”
Those closest to Mazgay talked about how humble and genuine she was as a person.
Lancaster senior Emma Burke, who has played on the same travel team with Mazgay since they were 9 years old, said it will be hard to step back on the field without one of her closest friends.
“She was the sweetest person ever and she was just so genuine,” Burke said. “Her smile lit up a room. She always made you laugh. She was just so humble, and everybody loved her. She was the best third baseman I ever played with.
“She was always smiling, and she was never mean to anyone, she always included everybody. She always gave it her all, 100 percent all the time. Softball was her first love. She loved the game. I will miss her goofiness, her kindness, and everything about her. I can’t imagine not playing with her. She made everyone smile with her smile.”
Ohio USSSA Pride President Danny Bay said Mazgay’s personality resonated with so many people, even people she didn’t even know.
“She was the type of girl that always had a smile on her face. You look at every photo and she is always smiling,” Bay said. “Her impact on people has been felt all over. I’ve had so many travel softball organizations, coaches, even college coaches, from around the state reach out.”
Bay said the Ohio USSSA Pride organization has decided to retire Mazgay’s No. 8 jersey, meaning no other player in the whole organization, regardless of what age level, will wear No. 8 again.
The organization also plans to start a scholarship in her name, and it will be extended to any senior female athlete in Fairfield County.
“We want to make sure we keep Sophie’s memory alive,” said Chris Mason, who has coached Mazgay on the USSSA Pride team since she was 10 years old.
When he heard of about her accident and eventual passing, Mason was devastated and heartbroken to the core. He said she was like a daughter to him and they have shared so many memories through the years. Mason’s daughter, Rachel, also played with Mazgay and they were close, as well.
Mason said Mazgay’s loss is something that will be with him forever. He became emotional when talking about her.
“I’m going to miss her and everything about her in every possible way,” Mason said. “I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to step back on the field and coach without her being at third base She would stand there and just smile. I will miss that.
“There was a spirit in her that I’ve never experienced in any other athlete I’ve coached. “I’ve had coaches from all over the state reach out to me because they met her by us playing against them. She made that kind of impression on people.”
The Amanda community honored Mazgay before Friday’s high school football game. Players wore Mazgay’s softball No. 8 on their helmets and fans wore purple, which was Mazgay’s favorite color. There was a purple No. 8 painted in the middle of the field. Before the game started there was a moment of silence, followed by a purple balloon release.
The Amanda-Clearcreek Athletic Boosters started a fundraiser to raise money for the family. There will be a celebration of life for Mazgay at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Amanda-Clearcreek High School Gymnasium. Friends may call from 11 a.m. until the time of the service at the school.
“We didn’t have just a coach-player relationship,” Mason said. “She would reach out to me and we would talk about everything. She was just a genuine person. She had a great heart and was a great kid. I will miss more than anything watching her become an adult.”
Mazgay was a bright light and inspired so many people in such a short time, and while she was taken too soon, those her knew her, knows she is smiling down on them with her beautiful smile.
twilson@lancastereaglegazette.com
740-681-4358
Twitter: @twil2323
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September 06, 2020 at 11:00PM
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Sophie Mazgay was a bright light and inspired so many people in such a short time - Lancaster Eagle Gazette
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